Kazungula

PROJECT BACKGROUND

With the establishment of a free-trade zone within the SADC region, Kazungula located in Zambia exhibited the most potential for the inland free-trade port. Located on the banks of the Zambezi River in Zambia where it borders Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana, Kazungula is one of Africa’s busiest freight border posts. Currently, it operates with a ferry crossing but construction of a new bridge that will support not only vehicles, trucks and pedestrians but also rail in future, is nearing completion.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Strategic Regional Planning concept behind the Kazungula Free-Trade Port has three main objectives: 1. The maximisation of existing and new infrastructure (especially rail) to facilitate safer and larger quantities of goods movement through the SADC region. This will essentially connect RSA (point of manufacture) with the DRC (furthest point of consumption) easing the movement of goods currently operated by guarded truck convoys. 2. This line will not only facilitate the movement of goods but also opportunities. Coupled with industry favourable and tax easing legislation the perfect conditions will be created for mainly South African manufacturers to launch operations in Zambia. Zambia is located very centrally in the SADC region it will ease logistics for these companies and become a huge investment in the Zambian economy and society, bringing not the only economic activity but also skills and an estimated 85,000 sustainable permanent skilled and semi-skilled jobs. 3. The development of Kazungula as an international business and tourist destination as a result. Inter continental retail with people travelling by rail from as far as the DRC to Johannesburg in order to buy food and goods is clearly captured in the studies on Park Station. If the same variety and pricing are available 1,200 km’s before Park Station the change in these existing retail-related travel will be quite predictable.
The Strategic Regional Urban Planning and the Urban Design focussed heavily on these three pillars. The resulting Urban Design Framework illustrates very clearly with existing economic research on the area how the vision can be realised in 30 years given current economic trends. It also focussed on creating an African Urban environment by pushing densities up in the town centre whilst allowing for plenty of public space linked either to retail or transport.